Denver City Council on Monday unanimously approved denser development on a few acres near Ball Arena, adding to the potentially huge changes coming to the area.
The rezoning applies to 2.5 acres near the arena. The site is known as “the donut hole,” because it is bordered by the arena’s parking lots, which are already part of a major planned development.
The latest rezoning will allow new development on the donut hole to potentially rise as high as developers desire, depending on how much affordable housing they agree to provide.
The property is at the southwest corner of the sea of pavement around the arena. Last year, the Denver City Council approved grand plans to build housing and more for some 6,000 residents on about 64 acres of those parking lots.
The latest rezoning is small in comparison, but it could add to the scope of the downtown expansion that the Kroenkes are planning.
More about these 2.5 acres
The small property currently is the home of York Space Systems, situated in a small office building. It’s only about a quarter-mile from the light rail station for Empower Field at Mile High.
It’s unclear if there are any immediate development plans. The property owner is requesting the change “to align the properties’ zoning with recommendations from the City’s adopted plans” for the area, according to a staff report.
The new zoning status doesn’t include a specific height limit for buildings on the site. A future developer could choose to build “tall, slender buildings that preserve access to sun, sky, and view,” or they could build shorter, blockier structures.
However, developers would have to include affordable housing to reach the highest heights. Without affordable housing, the limit is only five floors.
The property is owned by two LLCs that are connected with the Centric Elevator company. It was already zoned for up to eight floors of development, but the new zoning designation brings it in line with the city’s standards for downtown development and allows a higher maximum height.
The site was part of the Old City Hall View Plane, a rule that protected views from downtown Denver. The rezoning removed those restrictions from the property.
The proposal received two letters and multiple comments, all supportive. The council passed the rezoning unanimously.
More development coming to downtown
The property also is near the proposed site of The River Mile, another expansive development plan that could one day replace Elitch Gardens with another downtown-style district.
If these new projects are successfully developed, downtown Denver’s population could more than double.
